She's Mine And Mine Alone
by xxBBsxBabexx
Summary: Howl saves Sophie from a drunk one day and afterwards he insists that she live with him.But when she lies to him it results in her friend's death.With no where else to go,she moves in with the seductive,possessive vampire who is certain he will have her
1. The First Encounter

Howl strolled along the busy streets of the day with a top hat covering his black hair. His green and gold earrings glittered in the sun's steady rays, along with his mahogony cane with the golden orb he used as the grip. His steady gait continued its usual route about the town, until he heard a shriek. His eyes widened with childish delight as he sped off in the direction of the wail.

When he got there, Howl was expecting to see a man trying to steal a purse from a little old lady, maybe even a little girl who dropped her ice cream. He was terribley wrong. Instead, it was a teenager of about seventeen being sexually harassed by an older man who looked no younger then thirty-four. She glanced over at Howl for a fraction of a second and the man took full advantage of her by bringing her down to the cement ground. Howl frowned at this and lightly walked to the two.

"Excuse me sir but I believe that young woman does not wish to be treated in such a way. If you please, take your leave." Howl stretched his arm to the exit of the deep alley they had stood in.

"Keh...who the hell do you think you are tellin' me what to do?" Howl's nose scrunched and his frown grew deeper. This man was drunk, he could tell, by the way he stumbled on the gravel and the smell of his breath when he stammered over to him. When the drunk hiccupped was the same time Howl smiled to bare his fangs to the world. The glistening, white fangs lay still and strong in Howl's mouth while he let out a hiss of challenge. The man's eyes went wide as he gasped in terror.

"Sorry sir. I didn't know the trollop was yours." He lifted the brown haired girl up by her elbow only to toss her to the ground again by Howl's shining black shoes. The drunkard ran away with unsteadiness while bumping into numerous objects. Howl chuckled playfully and withdrew his fangs. He looked down at the girl, who still had unborn tears in her deep brown eyes.

"Are you okay?" Howl took off his hat and knelt down by her only to see her flinch. "It's alright. I'm not going to hurt you, I promise." The girl looked at his extended hand before shaking it.

"Yes," Came her British accent. "I'm alright. Thank you, by the way, Mister um..."

"Howl. And who might you be?" The girl's eyes quivered from left to right, as if looking for something or someone before answering.

"M-my name is Sophie, Mr. Howl, and I'm forever in your debt for saving me from that wretched man." Howl held up his left hand allowing the rubies and emeralds in his rings shine with the sun.

"No need for thanks. I'm glad I could help you Sophie. But in case you're ever in need of my service again," Howl slipped off a ruby ring and slid it onto Sophie's right ring finger. "Just think of what happened today. Think of me, okay?" Sophie stared at the ring in marvel, only to look back up at Howl in embarrassment while nodding. "It's okay. It's a big and shiny rock. Who doesn't wanna stare at them, am I right?"

Sophie smiled at Howl with a small blush staining her cheeks. "Well there must be someway I can offer my thanks to you can't there? I'm sure you're in need of a cleaning lady, cooking, anything?" He looked up at the towering clouds above and thought of anything he needed.

"I suppose I'm in need of something, but I don't think you'd be ready for it."

"If it's cleaning bathrooms I'm more then ready for that." She offered to him. He just chuckeld with slight amusement.

"No, not that. I need a mistress, a lover if you will." Sophie's blush stain transformed into a full cherry color throughout her face.

"My, yes you're definately right about that. Sir, I'm no where near ready to be bedded. No offense to you but you're a complete stranger to me as I am to you." Howl smiled gentley at her.

"Well let's not be strangers anymore then." He held her hand and stood up with her. "Do you see that castle out there in the distance? That's my home and I would be more then happy if you came to visit me every now and then." He pointed to a massive greyish black castle that lie between a crowd of mountains. Sophie's eyes were fixed on the giant Howl got to call his home.

"You live _there_? All by yourself?"

"Yup."

"No servants? Friends? Family?"

"Nope. Just me. It's really not all that bad. Besides, it's great for parties." Sophie laughed.

"Yes I would imagine it would be."

"How about you? Where do you live?" He looked back at her with an innocent smile painted on his lips. Sophie's eyes widened when she felt her breath caught in her throat. "Sophie, you do have a home, don't you?" He asked with concern.

"Of course I have a home. It's just not mine." He tilted his head at the statement. "I live in the hat shop. That's where I make my living, eat my dinner, get my rest, everything."

"That's terrible." She smiled with depression faintly blanketing her.

"No, not really. I make out just fine. Normal life, that is, if you're me." Howl's eyes were concerned. _**This girl, she has no hope whatsoever. She has never had the slightest bit of hope in her life before. I need to help her.**_

"Sophie, why don't you live with me in my castle?"

"Oh no. I could never. It's out of the question."

"No I insist. You said there had to be some way you could thank me, well here's a way! Right here and it's yours for the taking!" She held a hesitant expression for a second before coming up with another truthful excuse.

"And what do you propose I do if my master doesn't allow this?" This caught Howl off guard, he hadn't expected her to be a slave in the first place. "It's not that I don't want to, but one thing is certain I'm not fond of lashes yet I get paid for what I do." He shook his head and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Tell you what, you talk with your master and if the answer's still no you let me know. I'll have a little talk with him."

"Her." He nodded politely, not really caring if he had spoken the incorrect gender.

"Right. You let me know how everything goes. But before you leave," Something thin and shimmering a silver color was in Howl's hand when he pulled it out of his breast pocket. "Wear this as a form of protection should the ring not work. Which I highly doubt." He smiled as he put the necklace over Sophie's head and onto her neck.

"Yes, thank you. I better be on my way now. Goodbye Howl." She ran out of the alley with an eager air surrounding her.

"Goodbye Sophie." He turned around and put his black top hat back on. "We'll be meeting again shortly." He grinned wickedly as a hiss came out. "Very...shortly." As his steps faded away Howl began to disappear. Instead of disappearing altogether, he turned into a light blue mist. His voice echoed through the alley and most likely through a small portion of the town. "You will be mine, Sophie. I'll make sure of it."

As Sophie continued to run she thought about the mysterious man that went by such a captivating name. _Howl._ She thought to herself. _I'm such a fool, how could I have actually been enthralled by him? I'm only seventeen and he seems to be no older then twenty-three. I hope he's alright for one reason or another._ She fingered the charm on her new necklace. It was a silver wolf baring its fangs in a red circle.

She smiled at it, as it reminded her of Howl. The symbol looked familiar but she couldn't really put her finger on it. She would have to ask her master when she got home. Sophie walked through the open door and called out to her master. "Maria? Are you here?" Then a crash was heard followed by the shattering of glass.

"Aw damn it! I give up! Hold on Sophie I'll be right there." Stomping high heels shuffled around the house in search of something. Sophie climbed up the stairs and bobbed her head back and forth, searching for Maria. She finally caught sight of the blonde hair in the kitchen and trotted to her.

"Maria what's the matter? Did you break another vase?" Maria laughed mockingly to herself.

"Not this time. Damn I'm such a klutz. I broke that stained glass window this time. You wouldn't of seen the broom around here by any chance now would you?" Sophie nodded.

"Yes I'll get it. Let me clean up the mess. That's why you hired me, remember?" Maria scoffed and let out a small "whatever" as Sophie ventured off to get the broom. Once she found it she cleaned up the broken glass and disposed of it properly. But she wanted to figure out what the wolf on her necklace meant. "Maria, do you know what this stands for?" Sophie gestured to the charm only to pick it up and show it to Maria in a closer view.

On closer inspection, Maria gasped and clutched the wooden cross that lay around her neck. "Sophie what the hell are you wearing that for?! Don't you know what it means?"

"No why do you think I'm asking you?" With a sigh, Maria reluctantly told Sophie the meaning of the evil wolf.

"It's a symbol of...evil. I'm not going to tell you what kind since you'd think I've lost my frigin mind but you really shouldn't be wearing it." Sophie looked hurt.

"Hm. I guess you're right then. I'll go put it away." Sophie walked to her room and looked at her reflection in the mirror. The necklace was stunning on her, but if it meant evil then maybe she shouldn't wear it. It wasn't a dreadful decision, wear it or not, keep it or not, it was the decision if she should trust Howl or not. "No, I'll keep it. Maria's a bit paranoid anyhow. Howl probably didn't even know what this means."

She tucked it under her shirt so Maria would feel more comfortable. "I'll ask Howl what it means if I run into him anytime soon." She gasped. "I forgot! I'm suppose to talk to Maria! Maria!" She called out her name louder and louder. "Maria! I need to talk to you! It's essential news!" Maria came dashing out of the basement and up the stairs in an instant.

"What...what's wrong?" She asked trying to catch her breath.

"I met this man in the market today. He wants me to live with him and he said I need to talk to you about it." Maria looked like she was scared and actually gasped.

"Was he cute?" Sophie blushed and looked away.

"Not the point." Maria squealed with excitment.

"Oh my gosh! You just met the man and you seem as though you're already head over heels for him. He sounds the same about you too." Maria tickled Sophie's side while laughing. "Sure, I don't see why you can't 'live' with him for a while. When will you be back?" She used air quotes for live, thinking it was just a little sleep over or whatever.

"Maria he wants me to actually _live_ with him. I can never come back if I do." Maria's face was a little hurt, as though it was a painful decision.

"Sophie, this really is a great oppertunity for you. You're not a slave, you're my maid, but who am I to hold you back? It's your decision to make and I won't bully you or anything like that."

"But he told me it's up to you. Honestly, I think he believes I'm a slave. I can't make a choice. Please Maria could you perhaps make the choice for me?"

Maria sighed and held her forehead. "What do _you_ want Soph? I'll let you pretend that I made your decision. Will that make you feel better?" Sophie looked at her feet. She was stuck, this was true, but not about the moving matters. It was what Maria had said earlier, about her being head over heels for Howl. "First, who is this guy? What's his name and where does he intend on taking you?"

"Oh well, he didn't give me his name." She lied. "But he wants to bring me to his castle in the mountains." Maria gasped.

"Sophie are you even remotely aware of what they use to do to people a few decades ago? Teenagers fifteen to eighteen would be offered as sacrifices to vampires. So much death, so tragic. Of course only the head vampire lived in the castle. He'd invite people to dine with him or simply give the teens to them. Damn filth, just thinking about it disgusts me. Thank goodness vampires have been killed off."

Sophie gulped a bit but hid her fear. "I'm sorry Sophie. I can't allow you to go there. Any other place I don't see any harm, not there though. That foul castle." She nodded at Maria.

"It's alright.I'll just tell him the answer's no."

**_NoTe: Hope you guys liked this. It was just a quick idea but I loved the thought of Howl being a vampire. I know not really the most original idea but oh well. Reviews are totally welcome and not to sound mean but no reviews means no updates if you liked it._**


	2. Death of Maria

Two days later Sophie went back in the same alley that she and Howl had previously met in earlier in the week. The necklace was still tucked safely beneath her collar and the ruby still found its home on her finger. She thought about Howl while closing her eyes to rest. Suddenly she felt a cold breeze, not thinking that it should be cold at all in August. Her brown eyes opened a bit to see light blue mist coming straight at her.

Of course, she thought nothing of it but soon saw and heard Howl walking towards her. He was smiling, expecting good news.

"Hello Sophie. Did you talk things over with your...master?" He didn't like that she was being owned by someone else and proved his point by grumbling the last part.

"Yes actually, I did. She doesn't want me living with some strange man who wants to take me to a castle that was used as food storage for vampires."

"The same strange man who saved you from a drunken idiot?"

"Maria doesn't know that. Her intentions are good but she just doesn't want to lose me. She made that point as clear as day." She turned around and winced.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt?" She chuckled a bit with morbid humor.

"I told you, she made her point as clear as day." Howl hid his rage. _**So this Maria character enjoys hurting my girl. I'll have to end Sophie's suffering by midnight.**_

He huffed a bit before changing the subject. "I see. So, you honestly believe that castle was used by vampires?" Sophie looked over at the ominous castle.

"It's not that I believe it it's just that why take a risk? I mean, what if vampires come back again? They could repopulate."

He was confused, there was only two vampires left in the world and they were both male. The other being his brother. "But Sophie, the only vampires left in this world are both men. Vampires can only reproduce with their own kind, not the living." She looked him over.

"You know about vampires?" Now was the time that Howl's story came into play, make her believe he was human and not fifty percent of the remaining vampire population.

"Of course I know about them. They're putrid beasts who locked me up about ten years back. I was only twelve at the time and of course, wouldn't you be scared out of your wits too if you were the future appetizer? Anyway, they rarely fed us, we never saw sunlight, the air was dry and cold, the men would torture the younger children to hear them scream, I was one of them." He pretended to wince and clenched his eyes shut.

"Howl, are you alright?"

"I'm fine Sophie. Just, I'm never going back to Italy again." Her eyes widened in amazement.

"So your story didn't happen in that castle?"

"Of course not. My family went on a visit just for fun. Then it ended in disaster. My father, dead, my mother, a vampire, and my brother...gone." Sophie looked down.

"You mean dead?"

"No. He just disappeared a week before the castle was burnt to the ground. I was lucky to escape with my life, but I never stopped looking for him."

"I'm so sorry. It must've been hard for you." Howl tried effortlessly to hide a chuckle as she gave him her condolences for a false story. _**This will be far too easy Sophie, thank you.**_

"To make matters worse, I live in the castle alone. No one to talk to, no conversation, no companionship, no smiling, just me." Sophie felt a tug at her heart. Even though it was the wrong thing to do, she wanted to live with Howl now. She had never been alone once in her entire life and to be the only person in such a big castle, she could only imagine how depressed he would be to live out the rest of his days like that.

"Howl, I do feel bad for you, I really do...but Maria is my master and there's nothing I can do about her decision it's final." He nodded, a little disappointed she refused to disobey her master...the one sign of freedom and rebellion.

"I understand." She nodded back and turned on her heel to walk out of the alley.

"I'm sorry Howl, maybe you should talk to Maria. I work in the hat shop, you can find us there." When she disappeared and her scent vanished Howl burst out in laughter sinisterly.

"You can count on it Sophie my darling! I'll do more then talk with the coward!" In another round of evil fits he disolved into the blue mist as thunder boomed and lightening flashed when heavy rains began to fall.

He was back at the castle in no time, his servants greeting him properly.

"Welcome back Master Howl. Did you find the girl?" His butler asked. Howl gave him his hat.

"Yes I did Jona." Jona bowed while walking backwards to the closet.

His maid questioned him after Jona had gone out of sight. "My lord, why is it that you seek this girl you only met just once?" Howl smiled sincerely to himself, trying not to let his maid see how triumphant he felt for he was not one to gloat.

"Because long ago, centuries before, I knew this girl. Sophie wasn't her name when I first met her. Have I not told you this story before Charlotte?" She shook her head. "My apologies. Anyway, Sophie's real name is Eternity and I believe if I call her by that name she will remember me as I have her."

The teenaged looking maid sighed dreamily. "Oh master you're such a romantic. There's no possible way she can turn you down." Charlotte smiled at Howl before skipping off with his cloak in hand. Howl walked up the spiraling steps to his room and upon entering found spiders scattered every which way, dust sleeping on books, cob webs among the corners, and the picture frame that held split glass and the photo of a silver haired girl with dark brown eyes. The photo of Sophie's past life, Eternity.

"I will have you Eternity. If I can't, I'll make you mine by force." In time it was dark and Howl took his form of a raven for faster travel. He knew exactly where the hat shop was and that only increased his speed. Soon enough he landed on the roof without a sound and jumped to the ground, again soundless. The lights were on, and he prayed to anyone that was there that Sophie wasn't the one awake. Howl marched up the stairs and knocked on the door with his finger. In time a small, blonde haired woman who looked to be the same age as Sophie opened the door.

"I'm sorry sir but we're closed. You can come back tomorrow." Running his plan through his head, Howl closed his eyes and smiled.

"Are you Maria? The owner of this place?" Maria felt the need to put her guard up, she had this feeling, a hunch, that she shouldn't be talking to this guy. She leaned on the door frame with her left elbow and put her right hand on her hip.

"I am. What do you want? A reading lesson? We're closed for the night. You can come back in the morning, we'll be ready for business." She claimed not so nicely. Eyes still closed, Howled replied.

"I see you're a worshipper of God. What is it that you see in him?"

"He's our savior. Without him there would be no us. Are you some kind of anti-Christ?" He laughed darkly and opened his piercing blood red eyes.

"In a way. He's the one that did this to me." Maria gasped, thinking that Howl was a monster. "Now, about your little slave girl, I want her." Her own sky blue eyes shot open.

"I beg your pardon? I don't have a slave."

"Oh but of course you do. Sophie I believe it was. She told me you hurt her last night, very badly. I'm here to give her freedom, here to take her with me." Maria's mouth widened in realization. She pointed an accusing finger at him.

"You! You're the man who gave Sophie that medallion! The symbol of the vampire!" Howl smiled a toothy grin, baring his fangs to the world. She screamed when he lunged at her but it was too late. He had bitten her neck and started drinking the metallic blood from her veins. Her skin turned pale, and her eyes got darker. She was struggling for air, to breathe at this point. Then she finally went limp on the floor. Howl heard Sophie running towards them and quickly transformed into a wolf to prevent being accused for her death.

To make it look like more of a wolf attack, her bit at her limbs and tore at her flesh. He also scrtached several parts of her body including her face, neck, shoulder, both legs, btoh sides of her stomach, and her right arm. Of course the brutality goes to Howl and his quick thinking. He smelt Sophie coming even closer and dashed out the open door.

"Maria! Maria are you alright? Where are you?" Came her voice from the hallway. Then she got to the front door and saw Maria's mutilated corpse. "Oh my god! Maria!" Sophie's hands covered her mouth as an attempt of not throwing up. It was the most hiddeous thing she'd ever seen, and it had to be her friend. "Oh Maria, I should've ran quicker. Forgive me." She knelt by the body and felt for a pulse.

When she got nothing, she began to sob. What she failed to notice was the bite mark on her neck that was smaller then the others that decorated Maria. Getting the courage to leave her friend's side, Sophie left for the police. Howl watched her from the roof, still in his wolf form. It looked like he was smiling, but he howled to Sophie shortly after.

He returned to the castle as a wolf but greeted Jona and Charlotte in his human form.

"The results sir?" Jona asked.

"Mission one, complete."


	3. Late at Night

_**NoTe: Oh my gosh, maybe I made a mistake with killing Maria that early, but maybe I didn't. Are you guys really that upset? Oh I'm so terrible. I'll make it up to you though, you'll see. Some people think Charlotte and Jonas are kind of ominous, no need for these thoughts. Just think of the two ghosts from The Haunted Mansion. I loved those two. ^_^**_

Tears slid down her face and she bit back sobs on her way to the police station. Sophie didn't bother knocking as she bursted through the door.

"Officer! You have to help me please!" The man turned to face her with somewhat tired eyes.

"Miss are you aware that it's two in the morning?"

"Fully but please you must come see. It's my friend, she's been murdered!" His eyes lost the exhaustion and something similar to interest shone. He nodded and ordered two other officers to join him.

"Blackwell, Stewart, come with me." Sophie got into the car and directed them to the hat shop where they could instantly smell Maria's rotting flesh. All three of the men held their noses as they entered the shop. Sophie stayed outside hugging herself and thinking what could've happened to Maria. She was sleeping and Maria had been up working on a brand new hat design that was apparently to die for. And then she really did die.

"I should've been there." She whispered to herself. "I should've been the one killed, not Maria. She never hurt anyone." The officers came back outside and the one named Stewart shared their new information with Sophie.

"Well we looked over the body and it seems as though it was a wolf attack." Sophie shook her head with her wide eyes.

"No she had to have been killed. I heard someone knock at the door! She was talking with him, I heard them speak!"

"The man could've spoke with her then gone home. And the girl might have forgotten to shut the door and a hungry wolf comes in. I'm sorry for your loss. Patterson and Blackwell are putting your friend in the body bag now. We'll have you take a look at her in the morning alright?" Sophie nodded.

"Yes, thank you officer. I appreciate your help."

"Any time." Sophie watched as the men pulled Maria into the back of the car and undoubtedly to the morgue. Sophie held her collar when she remembered what lie beneath it. She quickly tugged out the silver necklace and stared at it. Sophie shook her head and tucked it back in.

"Maybe she was talking with Howl, he said he'd have a word with her. I don't suppose..." Her mind wondered to Maria's last hour and whoever it was spent with. "No, it couldn't of. He seemed far too kind to be the murdering type. But, now that Maria's gone, I have no where to live, no job, and no money. I guess there's not a choice here. I have to live with Howl now."

She walked along the concrete road, her heels clicking against the hard surface. "Do I really not have a choice? Perhaps the mayor will allow me to own the hat shop from here on out. Oh, but I don't know the first thing about financial resources and such!" She continued down the street when she saw something dart from the side. "Huh?"

She looked to her right and nothing was to be seen, same as the left.

"Is there someone here?" No answer. "Hm, that's strange. Probably the village boys." She shrugged it off and continued wandering the British streets. Another dart from the left this time and Sophie turned quickly to that side. She was begining to get scared but again, it was probably a little boy or maybe even an animal. Could it be the wolf that attacked Maria, stomach still growling for the feast of human flesh and blood?

She didn't waste another minute and ran but when she turned around she was surrounded by two people, dark silhouettes with beaming red eyes and their facial features sticking out ever so slightly. She backed up into something hard and quickly turned to face what she expected to be a dead end. Instead she was met with a cloaked figure with the hood pulled over, only leaving their mouth exposed to the moonlight.

He brought up his hand and reached to Sophie's dress collar, she gasped and was about to slap the hand away but the two others held hers arms, one for each. The fingers of what seemed to be the leader sunk into the fabric and brought out the vampiric medallion and ran his thumb across the wolf's bared fangs. He held it loosely in his palm and it began to glow red. The man winced and his lip curled back a bit.

When he let the symbol drop the mark was printed on his hand in the form of a bloody burn. "You are the eternal life, Sophie." Long claws grew to replace the man's nails and he tore at the sleeve, letting it fall the the cold ground without a care. The claws retracted and the blood-soaked burn glowed a slight orange and a deep red, almost the exact color of fire. He inched the mark towards her bare shoulder, that's when she began to struggle.

"Let me go! I have nothing to do with you! Let go now!" The feminine figure holding her left arm put her finger tips on the back of Sophie's neck lightly, and she felt a painful shock go through her body. She let out a small yell followed by whimpers. She fell to her knees, her arms held up by the other two people. She let a tear roll down her cheek as she sobbed. "Please." She sighed.

The hooded man knelt down by her, his faces inches from her. He leaned over and licked the tear from her skin. Sophie whimpered again. "Embrace it, Sophie, don't reject it." His hands went to her shoulders, the one with the bleeding injury held lightly over her shoulder rather then gripping it like the other one. "Release her." He commanded.

The two did as instructed while replying "yes master" in unison. He moved her collar down far and smelt the crook of her neck. The second his lips touched her skin he pressed the burn to her flesh with force.

She screamed but one of the servants covered her mouth with both hands to muffle it. The pain was intense and extended beyond any words possible, but then out of complete nothingness, she felt nothing. Was that what he felt when he got the burn? All he could do was wince from that fierce pain? Sophie felt something sharper then her kitchen knives pierce the skin of her neck. Then the man began sucking on the wound he inflicted on her, draining her of her blood and energy. The man who had his hands on her mouth brought them to his side in clenched fists and looked down upon them.

"Master, it is the witching hour, we must return." The one draining Sophie looked up, the hood casting a shadow over his eyes and showing his flawless, pale skin. The master nodded and lifted Sophie bridal style. _Why can't he just leave me for dead? Why? I just want to die in peace._ She had passed out along the way, his footsteps making no noise at all as well as his servants. Howl had turned into the mist along with Jonas and Charlotte and was able to get back to the castle in no time.

"Master Howl, what are we to do with the girl now?" Howl looked down at Sophie with his blue eyes frozen in a trance.

"I will take her to my room. I have no need for sleep. Charlotte?" The maid came to his side and bowed her head.

"Yes master?" Howl began trudging up the spiral staircase with Sophie in his arms.

"Change Sophie into more suitable clothing. She deserves more then the attire of a peasent." Charlotte bowed.

"Yes Master Howl. I will do so immediately." Howl's silent footseps continued to the top of the tower with Charlotte following close behind. He placed Sophie on the bed lightly and put his hand at her neck. _**Don't be afraid, Sophie, I beg of you. Please, do not fear me.**_

"You may dress her now. I will be in my personal quarters if I'm needed." Charlotte bowed to her master and proceeded to undress Sophie of her dark blue, long sleeved night dress and into a flowing white night gown that came just above the knees. Charlotte bowed her head and left for the parlor. She met with Jonas and sat next to him on the sofa. He held his head in his hands while a drink lay before him on the table.

"Are you alright, Jonas? You seem stressful." Jonas inhaled through his nose and raised his head to nod.

"I am, Charlotte. If this Sophie girl truly is who Master Howl says she is, then there is nothing we can do to stop her." Charlotte looked at him with confusion.

"What do you speak of? Jonas, Master Howl would never put his trust and love into someone so dangerous. He may pull certain stunts that put him in peril but you know him. What is wrong with the girl? I'm curious now." Jonas looked around for Howl and sniffed the air before starting the tale.

"Centuries ago, long before we found you, Charlotte, there was a girl. Her name was Eternity and she was beautiful in every possible aspect. Every single way. But she was very powerful, too powerful. At first Master Howl tried to start an alliance with her, knowing what damage she could inflict upon anything and anyone she so desired, and that was all. Just a partnership and nothing more. But then Master..." Jonas paused.

"Master Howl what?" Jonas took a sip of the red wine before continuing.

"He began to fall in love with her, and she for him. All was well until she began plotting against him. His senses were weak compared to her dark magic and he insists she did what she did to protect him. I still think it was just another way to get what she wanted. Anyhow, each day she would look at him less and less until he brought it up."

_Flashback_

_Howl looked at Eternity as she pulled at her starlight hair._

_"What troubles you my love?" She looked up at him, eyes wide and innocent._

_"Hm? Oh it's nothing of concern. Nothing at all." She continued tugging at her silver locks nervously._

_"I know you're lying." She blinked two times before replying._

_"And I know what you're up to. If you want to play the I Know game I'll gladly play along." Howl chuckled. His attention was focused more on Eternity rather then his starving servant, Jonas. Jonas looked around frantically until he found a large black bear that had been wounded. He ran to it, ecstatic._

_"Why do you stay here with me? I do not know how much longer the poor man can satisfy himself with raw animal meat and blood. Surely, you must miss the luxurious taste of human blood on your tongue do you not?" Howl looked at her with a tilted head._

_"Jonas is fine as am I. Please what has your attention wrapped around its finger?" Eternity sighed._

_"I can't tell you, it will be too dangerous. I don't want you put in harm's way because of my own foolishness."_

_"You know how well I handle danger, Eternity, why do you treat me as a child?" She laughed._

_"Perhaps it is because you still have the mind of a mere child. But, I may have to do something...that I do not want to do. Howl, do you love me?" Howl's blue eyes widened._

_"Of course, nothing else in the world could earn my love for you. Eternity, do you doubt me?" He held her hand in his with much care._

_"You know as well as I, that is not true. But, your father does not approve." Howl's eyes filled with rage._

_"I shall kill my own father for you! Eternity, there is nothing more in the world that I could ever ask for. You are the most magnificent thing that has ever happened to me. I love you, never deny that."_

_"I do not." She turned her head to the small wooden cottage they they called camp. "Deny you, that is. Don't deny me either, and if you do not forgive me, I will not blame you. I will beg for your mercy, should this go wrong." Howl tilted his head a bit in a confused matter._

_"What do you mean?" Eternity held tears in her grey eyes that had refused to shed._

_"Forgive me." She put a hand to the center of his chest, over his heart and exhaled. Before anything could be done Howl was enveloped in ice. Eternity sniffed and wiped a tear away as a coffin appeared before her, then her hand got heavier as a lock formed. "You will sleep until I am dead, Howl, I love you." She muttered as Howl was magically pulled into the coffin and the lock clicked around three silver chains._

_Then she ran away before she could be discovered by her lover's faithful servant._

_End Flashback_

Charlotte's mouth was wide, her hand covering it. Jonas stated that, "Eternity knew that Master Howl would thaw out very quickly and that was the purpose of the lock and coffin. She never meant to hurt him but by the time I had found a spell that would unlock him I soon found out that Eternity had been killed."

"What happened to her, Jonas?"

"She had been accused of witch craft and was burnt to the stake." Charlotte gasped.

"How awful."

"The wench deserved it. She used Master Howl like a napkin and he knows it." He signed and sipped at his drink again. "He was furious with me rather then the witch, why I don't know but he blamed me for making her turn her back on him. I went after a bear when the event occured and I never spoke with her." Charlotte rubbed Jonas's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.

"Perhaps he was just shocked. Did you tell him of her death after he broke out in rage?" Jonas shook his head.

"After he was released he seemed as though he had been reborn. Asking all these questions and such he suddenly remembered everything. Eternity, he kept asking where Eternity was. So I had to tell him. That's when he smashed everything in sight, I'm lucky to be here now."

"Hm, as I would imagine. So...do you really think that the girl, Sophie, could she truly be evil?"

"Charlotte, Eternity was not evil. She was selfish and as far as I'm concerned she shall stay that way in my eyes. Your opinion is yours to keep but let me keep my own." Charlotte nodded and walked off to go check on Sophie. Mean while, Howl sat in his office like room. He stared at a picture of his brother, himself, and Eternity all standing together with smiles on their pale faces. Eternity was the happiest of all, she was always the happiest.

Howl let out a deep sigh and put his right hand to his temple. "Please don't let me screw this up. Please let her be the right one. I loved her long ago, let me love her again." He prayed to whoever out there happened to be listening. No one heard his prayer, well no one other then Sophie, that is.


	4. She Isn't Eternity, Or Is She?

Sophie gasped and put a hand over her mouth. _No! He heard me!_ She heard someone climbing the stairs to where she was supposed to be, causing her to panic further. _Damn! God in Heaven please don't let me be caught._ She looked to her right to see Charlotte near the top of the stairs with a sad look upon her face. Her name was called by a tired Jonas.

"Coming, Jonas!" Charlotte quickly returned down the stairs. Sophie let out a sigh of relief. As she turned to see if Howl had heard her, she was horrified to find him standing before her. She gasped loudly and was about to scream when he covered her mouth and grabbed her around the waist to drag her back into his office. Once the door was shut and locked he pinned her against the wall and looked into her eyes with a genuine gladness.

"You're awake." Sophie gulped and nodded for who wouldn't be terrified of the vampire's icy breath streaming down her wounded neck. "Excellent, we may begin then." Once she could focus on the man who held her to the freezing cold wall her eyes widened in bewilderment as she looked straight into the eyes of a man she never would have expected.

"H-Howl?" She stuttered. She thought she could trust Howl, was he the one who had done that to her late at night? Was he the one who killed Maria? Was he the source of all her recent misery and distress? He seemed far too kind to do such a thing. But then again, as the saying goes, never judge a book by its cover. Howl's cover was just too irresistable but she forbid herself from flipping the pages, terrified of what she may find within them. And that terror grew second by second with Howl's glacial breath upon her neck.

"Yes, Sophie." He nuzzled his face to the crook of her neck and inhaled, sending shivers down her spine as fear consumed her. "It's me." Sophie's eyes were wide and her voice silent, only whimpers coming from her throat. "Do you fear me so much as you cannot speak?" Sophie remained still and stiffened as he found her out.

"You're going to kill me, aren't you? I have every right and reason to be afraid for my own life. I know I'm selfish in that manner yet I can't help but fear for it." He pulled away from her neck and lightly grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him.

"I will not kill you. You have my word, witch, that you shall never be harmed as long as you remain here, with me." Sophie's eyes were wide again, her mind clouded and confused at the name he had just notified her as.

_Witch?_

"Why do you call me Witch?" She questioned.

"Long ago, centuries before where we're standing now, we were in love. You a witch, and I a vampire." Sophie gasped and pushed Howl with all the strength she had leftover. It wasn't enough to even budge him, cause him to lose balance or struggle in keeping his ground. He grabbed her wrists and placed them over his dead, forsaken heart. She felt no beat, only frigid and bitter coldness, only ice.

"Listen, Sophie, and you will understand. We loved each other very much. It didn't start out that way, be warned. I was in need of a partner, a powerful alliance was called for in my fight against the world. I found you being chased by two angered men through the woods and I could feel your terror. They weren't just two weakling villagers, if they were I would've let you carry on your way. Surely you could've handled them on your own." Sophie looked at him, he was smiling, at the memory she supposed.

"Their eyes were lit red with hatred and knowing my curiousity I had to take a look in."

"So you followed?" She asked the vampire. Howl nodded.

"Indeed. When the larger one began sending fire balls in your direction that's when I decided to cut in." He chuckled. "Before I could do anything though, you had already turned them to ash. As you can imagine I was overly impressed with your work so that's when I decided to get to know you better. So I did. Your name was Eternity, and you had been cursed by another envious witch. She took everything mortal from you except for a few things."

"What were they?" She asked and his hands on hers tightened their grip just a little.

"You were still able to feel regret, sorrow, and able to commit the Seven Deadly Sins. The one you felt greatest for, was lust. People didn't know whether you were a witch or a succubus, but I knew, only because of the experience I had was the reason I could tell." She tried to pull her hands off his chest in outrage.

"How dare you speak of me in that way?! I have yet to sleep with a single man even once in my life and you speak of me as though I am a prostitute. I am no such lady, Howl, I am a virgin!" He kept her hands on his chest so she could feel the vibration of the satisfied growl he let out.

"Good." He growled in approval. "Blood would be spilt in any other situation." He continued on with his story. "We were fast friends and better partners. After a year of working together is when we began having feelings for one another. As you can imagine, what happens next?" Sophie bit her lip and silently sighed really not wanting to finish the blank spot in the story, but with no choice given, she continued for the vampire.

"We made love." Her voice was shaky but sure of herself. Howl smiled and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear that he proceeded to nibble on.

"Yes, Sophie, we did. We were going to get married but then something happened to you. Something that to this day I still can't answer. But whatever it was, it made you turn your back on me, turn me into ice and seal me in a steal coffin with unbreakable locks. The only way I could escape that coffin, was if you died." Sophie felt a strange pull at her heart, fear, terror, and guilt. She had never experienced all these feelings at the same time before.

"How did I die, Howl?" Sophie couldn't help but be a little curious at the cause of her past death, despite the rapidity of her heart's loud and painful poundings.

"You were killed by the local villagers after being truthfully accused and proven of witchcraft. You were burnt to the stake and they saved your blood as a prevention for a reincarnation. As you can tell, that didn't work out very well, thanks to yours truly."

"What do you mean? Why should I have to thank you?" He smiled a bit at her questions and answered.

"I stole the blood and your ashes. I tried to find another witch as powerful or close enough as you but found only one. She told me it would take centuries before you would be reborn. I'd wait for you the day after my death, Sophie." She shook her head as she felt the burning sting of tears in her eyes.

"Please I don't know what you want with me. I just want to go back to my home in the hat shop with Maria." She sobbed. Howl smiled gentley.

"Sophie, Maria's not coming back and you're not going back." In his eyes was the show of amusement and love. He had fallen in love with a stubborn witch centuries before and he would love this stubborn human just as much. He inched his face towards her. Sophie panicked and tried to back up further into the wall, struggling against him and trying to squirm out of his vice-like grip. Her attempts were all in vain though, as Howl pressed his lips against hers. She calmed herself and felt all her defenses go limp as she exhaled in defeat.

The feeling of an unfamiliar relief washed over her as Howl took this as yet another triumph and pulled back from Sophie. He looked into her deep, brown eyes, fully aware that they held three incredibley specific and obvious emotions. Fear, confusion, and above all, lust.

"Don't be scared, Sophie." Howl whispered. "I love you, nothing you could ever do will change that." Sophie clenched her eyes shut to prevent the dreaded and hated tears and tried to hide her whimpers, her chest shaking as she held her breath. "Let it out, Sophie, there isn't anything you need to be afraid of." She let out a gasp of air and pulled her hands to her watery eyes to let herself let out a few excess tears that she wasn't capable of blinking and breathing away.

"That's my girl." Howl praised her. Then he grabbed a hold of her neck as she let the tears flow, and studied her reaction. Her foggy brown eyes looked at him with with no protests hidden within. Her facial expression basically told him to do what ever her wanted. He let out a small, barely audible sigh. Swiftly and gracefully, Howl's mouth was at her neck. He kissed it tenderly, licked it seductively, and her started taunting her by nipping at the sensitive flesh every so often. He slowly traced his tongue from her collar bone to the shell of her ear, letting out a freezing puff of air that made Sophie toss her head back lightly.

He found his way back to her lips and began to kiss her with a long awaiting passion. At first she was unsure of what she wanted to do, and then she began kissing back. Her hands framed his perfect and flawless face as her lips moved against his own cold pair. He spoke to her in a lustful whisper.

"This will hurt greatly, but only for a moment. Try to remember Sophie. Try to remember everything." Sophie could only hear every other word from the stress Howl was putting on her shoulders and was about to ask him to repeat himself. But that's when she felt a sharp, agonizing and brutal pain at the base of her neck that caused the flesh itself to begin pulsing. She attempted to scream, yet nothing came out. Even more tears flowed freely in their own seperate streams as the awesome pain increased.

She reached for it, but was surprised to see that her hands had found Howl's midnight locks at the source of her pain.

He was the one causing all of her present agony. _He...he bit me again._ She recalled that he had introduced himself as a vampire but hadn't actually thought he was serious. There were only two vampires left in the world, she didn't think that she could possibly be one of their former, murderous, blood-thirsty, and encahnted fiancees. She felt more of her energy drowning in her own blood and transferring to Howl. It was in the very same spot, and the very same torture she had gone through when he had previously bitten her.

Her breathing became heavy and her vision began to fade. Before she totally black out, she snapped her head back and pulled Howl's fangs deeper into her neck and moaning at the rare feeling of extreme pain. Howl clutched her waist and forced his hips into hers as he kept drinking from her. He let out a hiss, signifying that she was begining to turn him on a great deal. She didn't notice, however, because of the affect the wound had on her. She was well aware that this could kill her, but she didn't have a care in the world for it.

She never got to feel pain, ever, and she relished it like a much cherished family heirloom. She loved the pain Howl gave her and it caused her to buck her hips against his. She let out a gasp when she felt his hardening erection lightly poke her inner theigh and this only caused her to grind harder. She had never loved a physical pain so much, and she had never been this intimate with anyone before.

Howl threw himself away from her, pushing against the wall and out of Sophie's desperate and needing grasp. Sophie held onto her neck as the erupting sensation weakened little by little. She stared at Howl with an unreadable gaze. She watched him wipe her blood away from his mouth and lick it away on both his glorious, soft, cold lips and pale, slender fingers. She moved her hand away and brought it to her face, eyeing the crimson substance with a great curioustity.

Slowly and carefully, her hand got closer and closer to Sophie's waiting lips. Her pink tongue poked out and skimmed the skin of her hand. It tickled her for a moment, but all her focus was on based on the blood that covred her hand. She didn't notice Howl studying the way she absorbed the taste and feeling of the blood coursing down her throat in a sweet melody.

She took in a deep breath and closed her eyes in relaxation. She felt her muscles loosen as the liquid slid down her throat with ease. Howl spoke up, wanting to know her opinion on the subject.

"How does it taste, Sophie?" He asked honestly. She replied a moment later, trying to find the right words.

"It's different. Metallic, unique, it can... it can quench any thirst of mine." Howl moved his hand over her cheek and kissed her forehead lightly. "I can uprightly say that I have never tasted anything quite like this. I... I like it." She kept her gaze set on her bloody hand as thoughts whirled through her mind like gears in a factory. "Is this bad?" She asked worried.

"No. It's a very good thing. It's perfection, I'm going to start working very hard now that I know this information. It's very important and crucial at that. Serious business like this is to be dealt with carefully and quickly." Sophie curled his fingers into a fist and uncurled them again, repeating the process twice.

"What do you have to do?" She pretended she was interested in what he was saying, thinking that maybe if she cooperated he just might let her go and she could go back to her hometown. But then she remembered that he would not let her go even if it meant the demise of the planet.

"I'm going to turn you. If I do then you will be able to remember everything that has happened, you will live for eternity with me, you'll always be by my side." She looked off into a distance with nothing particularly on her mind. She nodded once, showing she got the concept.

"I understand. Do what you must, I do not care." Howl cocked his head in interest.

"Why is that?"

"Even if I did find some way to escape, I have nothing to come back to. No one to welcome me with open arms and say that they missed me and they were worried sick. If there is no point in going back, why should I even try to?" Howl invisibley smiled to himself and stroked the brown hair that flowed down Sopphie's back.

"Right. There is nothing for you in the human village. The only thing you have to go back to is an interview from the police and your own death. You'll be forced to live on the streets now that you don't have a job. You could never pay the bills for the shop working only as a maid. Here there is no work that needs to be done, no financial troubles in the least." Sophie closed her eyes briefly and thought to herself.

"Is your brother really missing, Howl?" He let out a forlornly chuckle and told her the truth.

"No. My brother is the other vampire. He's only an adolescent so he's not very mature. Through the years he's seen loved ones die and he decided that since he would be stuck in the stage he's in forever he might as well act like it." He told her. She nodded twice, dazing off into whatever she wanted to think of just so she couldn't feel her mortal self disappear when Howl sunk his fangs into her one final time.

"What is his name?"

"My younger brother? His name is Michael. He looks as though he's a ten year old child but he knows more then he should. He can be mature when he wants to be, he just pretends he isn't." He laughed childishly himself at the recollection of his younger brother.

"And where is he now?"

"He is trying to find a way to revive our father. It's impossible though, I've researched and interviewed countless people and vampires yet it was only out of pure interest. But once the leading vampire has been assassinated there is no possible way that we can raise him back from the dead. He's been in denial ever since his death. It's quite sad really."

"How did your father die? Wait let me guess...you killed him didn't you?" Howl set his eyes downcast of hers with a smirk on his lips at the memory of torturing his father to death.

"I did. After all, he was the one that had accused you of witch craft. He was the reason why you had been killed by those putrid villagers. So when I was released and Jonas had told me everything that had happened, I went straight to this very castle where my father had lived and very shortly after, had died a cruel and unmerciful death. It's his fault you had been killed, Sophie, so my natural instinct told me to kill him as well, and then I did."

Sophie absorbed the facts Howl informed her of. It was horrifying, really, for her to be turned by this gorgeous and undoubtedly seductive vampire that had killed her friend and his own father. But then again, if her past life really did freeze him and lock him away, then maybe she deserved this. Maybe all of this was supposed to happen.

"Howl, are you going to turn me now?" He put his frozen hands on her bare shoulders, yet she did not shiver in the slightest.

"When you're ready and in a full state of mind I will turn you. I drank too much of your blood so you lost too much to be fully conscious of everything. Perhaps tomorrow night will be more suitable for the both of us." Sophie clenched her fists and shouted at him.

"Why is it that you stole _me _from my home? Why did you kill my friend and attack me in the late hours of the night? Why didn't you choose someone else?! Someone that actually wants to be a vampire o-or get caught up in your whole Eternity business because I am telling you right now, Howl, that I am not Eternity!" Her voice cracking every here and there, she let a signle tear fall down her cheek. "I'm not her. I don't care what you say or what you do, but I am not Eternity, Howl. I'm not."

Howl looked at her with a sadness that he hadn't felt before, could it be guilt? He left the question alone and grabbed the cracked picture of Eternity and held it lovingly. Howl put the golden frame in Sophie's shaking and trembling hands. She looked at it with a blank expression, more of an uncaring gesture.

"I'm not her. That is not me." She said, angered by how similar this Eternity girl, her supposed past life, looked like her. The only difference was the silver colored locks that were in a proud braid that cascaded down her back, the same length and style Sophie always put her hair in. The resemblance was uncanny.

"I can smell the lie your telling me Sophie. You know that she looks exactly like you. You and Eternity are the same person, just from different worlds and time periods. Stop trying to convinve yourself, trust me, you'll get a headache." He stated with a warm smile. She shook her head with her eyes narrowed, still staring at the picture of the beautiful socceress she was said to be so many years ago, centuries ago.

"I'm not trying to convince anybody. I _know _I'm not her, and she most definitely isn't me. We're two _different_ and_ seperate_ people. We are not the same woman. There isn't anything you can say or do that will get me to believe you and your outrageous fantasies." _He's right though. She looks just like me! Or is it me who looks just like her? No, no I'm my own person. Or am I? Could I truly be this witch, this Eternity character who has captivated Howl? His obsession?_


	5. Three Months Later

Sophie had been at Howl's castle for nearly three months now. On this particular evening they were lounging in Howl's office, sitting on the couch. Sophie sat between his legs sitting up straight while he leaned back against the couch, running his fingers through her brown hair. When she looked back at him for a moment, Howl leaned over to Sophie and kissed her forehead tenderly, letting her shiver from the frozen sensation his lips gave her.

"Why can't you just let me go, Howl?" She asked.

"You know why." He responded, not growing angry with her for basically repeating the same exact question over and over again. His patience was never thin when it came to the ones he loved.

"I want to leave though." Sophie told him. "I don't belong here." She said, turning her back to him.

"Yes you do, Sophie. You know where you belong, and it's not just here." He said, nuzzling the crook of her neck and licking it.

"Don't," She pleaded with him not to finish the rest of his thoughts, though highly enjoying the way he treated her neck. "Please, don't."

"You belong with me." The ends of his black hair slid across Sophie's shoulder.

"I don't suppose the next line is that I belong _to_ you, is it?" Howl smirked at the brunette girl and ran his fingers through her hair again.

"Not just yet." Sophie scrunched her nose as if an unpleasant scent filled the air, though the only thing she could really smell was Howl's masculine aroma.

"What do you mean by that?" She questioned the black haired vampire.

"There are some things that are just too complicated to explain. This is one of those topics. All in good time, Sophie, don't you worry, love." Sophie stood up from where she sat and turned around to look at Howl. She was angry and confused.

"Alright, this is how it's going to work, understand? You're going to admit that I'm not this Eternity girl, you're going to let me go, and I am going to pretend like this was just all some kind of sick, highly fictional dream due to the trauma Maria's death brought me, thanks to you, Howl." She finished with her arms across her chest and nearly out of breath.

Howl got up at well and walked over to her. Sophie panicked and started to back away. "Don't come any closer!" He wouldn't listen. "Howl, keep away from me!"

Just then there was a knock at the door, followed by a familiar voice, and a familiar figure, who opened the door.

"You heard the girl, don't you dare touch her." The feminine voice commanded.

"And who are you to tell me what I must and mustn't do?" Howl said cockily. A small, blonde, and feisty woman came out of the shadows furiously with a pointed a menacing finger at Howl.

"Look here, buddy, I don't care _how_ powerful you are. You do _not_ go near her when she doesn't want you near. Understand? Good." She didn't even wait for a response, only looked Howl in the eye furiously.

"M-Maria?" Sophie stuttered. Maria turned around casually with a caring smile.

"Hello, Sophie." Maria pretty much looked the same way she did when she was still alive, aside from the fact that her skin was three times paler than it had been the day she died.

"You're…you're alive?" Sophie asked, utterly stunned. Maria shrugged and chuckled.

"Well, more or less, I suppose. I just spent the last few weeks roaming the cemetery. It was the weirdest thing." She explained, but Sophie was much more interested in the fact that Maria was standing up on her own, talking, moving, scratching her nose!

"You're here? But you were dead! I saw your corpse, I felt for your pulse. You didn't have a pulse!" Sophie shouted. Maria chuckled sheepishly and extended her flawless wrist to her friend.

"Still don't have one actually." When Maria smiled, Sophie saw the last thing she wanted to see. One pearly set of fangs.

"Oh, Maria, you too?" She said nearly woefully. Maria went over to Sophie, as Howl stared at both of them, and cradled her for a moment.

"Now, now, it's not as bad as you think. Certainly isn't as bad as I thought." Maria smiled again, trying to get Sophie to lighten up.

"How did this happen?" She asked Maria, and her smile faded and her skin seemed to take on a bluish tint.

"I was afraid you'd ask that." Howl commented. "This was entirely my doing, with a bit of persuasion, of course." Sophie looked at him with astonishment clear in her eyes.

"Persuasion?" Sophie asked, deathly curious. Howl nodded once.

"You, Sophie, persuaded me into this without so much as asking." He said, and Sophie's eyes went wide upon hearing this.

"You mean, you could have brought her back this whole time?" She semi-shouted, and he nodded again in response. "You never told me?"

"I couldn't. It was already bad enough that you were begging to go back to a town you clearly didn't have a future in. To have you barking at me to bring Mary back, that would've surly been hell."

"Maria, her name is Maria, Howl." Sophie stated curtly. "We're going back to the town, whether you like it or not." Sophie grabbed for Maria's arm and started walking away but Maria was planted firmly to the ground as though she were a tree. "Maria?"

Howl laughed devilishly, smirking while doing so. Sophie gave him a short-lived glare before looking at Maria's frowning face with concern. "Maria, what's wrong?" The blonde vampire picked her head up slowly to look at her former employee.

"I can't go back to the town, Sophie. It was part of the deal." Maria informed her shakily.

"Deal? What deal?" She asked Maria.

"I'm a vampire now, and if I go into that town, I'll kill people. Probably the very people I called my friends. Not only would I kill them, I'd eat them, too. I couldn't do that, I could never." She was on the verge of tears, at least it looked that way. "I'm sorry, Sophie."

Sophie hugged Maria close to her. "Don't apologize, Maria, I know it wasn't your choice." Sophie tried her best to calm her undead friend.

"Not entirely. I'd go with you back to the village if I could, but…I'm not permitted to do so." Sophie watched as Maria pulled out a lacy white apron from the pocket of her black dress and tied it around her waist, then folded her hands in front of her with her head bowed.

"You see, Sophie, Maria is now under a contract. I brought her back to life under a few certain conditions." Howl stated as he put his hand on Sophie's shoulder. Sophie's fists and jaw clenched in unison, continuously tightening.

"And what might these conditions include, Howl?" She asked through gritted teeth.

"Nothing too serious. For starters, Maria is now Charlotte's assistant, meaning she's your very own personal maid. She is not to set foot off of the castle's perimeter. Lastly, she is to report if you plan to 'rebel', so to speak. If she doesn't, she'll be starved." Howl nearly snickered at his own genius. Now that he knew Maria and Sophie were actually friends, he could use that to his fullest advantage.

Sophie turned around, her brown hair practically whipping through the air.

"You're sick!" She spat, and everyone in the room and peeping from behind the door could hear the venom seeping through her lips. "You're evil!"

"Sophie, I did it for you." Howl said apologetically, starting to feel guilty. "I brought Maria back because I thought you'd find living here more tolerable, or even enjoyable, if you had a friend living with us." He was frowning.

"Us?" Sophie asked in a serpent-like manner. "_Us_? So you had _yourself_ in mind. _Us_, I can't believe you have the gall to say that." She looked down, unclenching her fists slowly, trying hard not to ignore the stinging sensation in her palms. "You know what, forget it. I can believe that. Killing my best friend, kidnapping me, holding me hostage, you'll just do anything for yourself, won't you?" She whispered more to herself than to Howl. He still heard her, though.

"Maria, leave us." He instructed Maria coldly. She nodded and went to join Charlotte and Jonas behind the door. Howl stood still with his back against the wall and closed the door behind Maria. "I did it for you." He said casually. "I've done all of this for you, Sophie."

"You didn't do it for me, you did it for your stupid Eternity character! Don't even try to pull a fast one over me, Howl. I'm not as stupid as I look, and I don't even look that stupid to begin with!" She shouted, getting more frustrated by the second. "You don't care about me. You care about Eternity. You don't care about mortals, you care about witches. One witch."

Howl froze on the spot. Was she right? Was that all she was to him? Just a replica of his loving, double-crossing Eternity? His eyes narrowed into slits, and he walked over to her slowly, but confidently. He stood in front of her, and lifted Sophie's chin up so they could look each other in the eye.

"Sophie, if I didn't care about you, do you think I would've kept you here for three months? Kept you alive for three months?" His hand fell back to his side. "Do you think I would've let you ask the same four questions over and over again day after day for three months, and probably more? But you think I don't care about you."

Sophie rubbed her forearms, shielding herself from Howl. "Keeping me alive and having patience doesn't mean anything. You still think I'm Eternity. What choice do you have?" She said, becoming less angry and vicious, and more dejected.

With the cheerless look in her eyes, Sophie's head began to droop. "You can say it. Just get it over with. The only reason you want me here is because of the fact there's a possibility in _your_ mind that I'm Eternity, or that she's me. Just say it, Howl." The vampire breathed through his nose and held Sophie's face between his freezing fingers, and made her look up at him.

"Sophie," He said softly. "I genuinely care about _you_." He kissed her, softly, carefully, _warmly. Sophie thought vampires couldn't kiss warmly, but the king of vampires was doing that very thing just now. He was kissing her warmly, instead of the normal frost-bitten peck he usually gave her._

_Howl let go of her lips, much to her dismay. "To say otherwise, is positively artificial information." He kissed her forehead, and she practically shivered from the incredible cold._

"_I-I don't understand." She stuttered, and he smiled and spoke softly, running his fingers through her hair again._

"_If I only cared about the fact that you could have possibly been Eternity, I would have tried to test it out two months ago. But now, I find myself caring less and less for the world, and for Eternity. All I can see," He breathed, reaching out a glacial finger to her cheek to stroke it. "Is you, Sophie." His hand stayed on her cheek, and the vampire and the human girl stared at each other with meaningful gazes._

_She took hold of his hand on her cheek, and nuzzled against it, not caring for the bitter chill gnawing at her skin. It was at that moment, Howl knew Sophie had somehow managed to care for him this entire time. She stepped toward him, letting his hand fall to her lukewarm shoulder. She kissed him in her own way, soft, tender, affectionate, with a hint of angst as well._

_Howl's arms circled around her waist as he brought her closer to him, not wanting to ever feel what it's like to not have her by his side again. She broke away from him, and looked into his eyes with pain-staking caution. "Give me reason to trust you again, Howl. Please, I want to trust you again." _

_She begged him, stroking his cheek with her thumb. She bit down on her lip while she traced her thumb over his lip, and revealed his fangs. "Bite me." She commanded absent mindedly. Howl's eyes widened a little and he grabbed her wrist._

"_No." He protested. She looked up at him and begged._

"_Please, Howl, bite me. Let me trust you again." She said quietly. For the first time in nearly a century, Howl hesitated._

_Behind the door, Charlotte and Jonas were talking to Maria while waiting to see what exactly was going on with their master and Sophie. _

"_So how long have you been undead for?" Charlotte asked, quite chipper about the grim subject._

"_About a week, give or take a few days." Maria responded quietly, refusing to put her hair up into a pony tail or bun like Charlotte had insisted earlier._

"_It's not so bad!" The more experienced vampire maid exclaimed. "I mean, at least now you don't have anything to fear. You'll never have to stress about death either because, well, you've already dealt with it!" She smiled brightly and Jonas just sighed._

"_Charlotte, if you have failed to previously note, is quite the optimist. She can wear you down from time to time." Jonas explained to Maria, who stared at the vampiric butler with wide brown eyes, red swirling around them._

"_And I take it you're the pessimist in this?" She said, not showing how being a vampire was currently affecting her physical and emotional states. Jonas nodded, smirking. "I thought as much. So, when can I tell when I'm hungry? Or thirsty? Empty? I don't even know what it is." She hated being a vampire. They were things of evil and temptation and seduction. She was a clumsy hat shop keeper, and would've preferred to stay one._

"_When you're hungry, trust me, you'll know when the time comes." Jonas chuckled humorlessly. _

"_That doesn't help me at all." She snarled. Charlotte put a finger to her mouth in an attempt to warn Maria to watch her volume. _

"_Don't mind him, he's just arrogant. Anyways, what he's trying to say is that when the time comes for you to feed, you'll know it. It's a combination of instinct and self-observation. Like, your breathing will get deeper, maybe quicker, but much, much deeper. You'll play with your fingers a bit, too. At least I do, I don't know about you." Charlotte laughed at her own signature hunger alert._

"_So, it just depends on the vampire?" Maria asked._

"_Sort of, yes, I suppose. There are main signs as well. For example, your eyes will get bright red, both when you're about to attack or when you're ready to feed." This made Maria go stiff and silent. "Maria, is something the matter? Maria?"_

_All Maria could see was the look on Howl's face, and the piercing red in his eyes on the night he killed her. She started shaking, and her fangs felt like they got slightly longer, as did her nails. Charlotte felt for Jonas behind her and started to panic._

"_Jonas, she's going into attack mode!" She shouted as quietly as she could. "Get her out of here!" Jonas snatched Maria and jumped down the stairs, Charlotte quickly following behind. "We've got to get her something to drink, Jonas! You know what'll happen if she doesn't get blood soon."_

"_I'm quite aware, Charlotte, thank you." Jonas remained calm throughout the ordeal as Maria thrashed about and screamed in his hold. "Calm down, young one. I believe this will be her first feeding. Let's start with something small, shall we?"_

_The three were outside and in a forest in a matter of seconds. Jonas set Maria down and held her by her shoulder. "Maria, find two small foxes for your dinner, and come back. If you don't come back, we'll go looking for you and bring you back to the master. Am I understood?"_

_Maria's vampire form shrieked with an agonizing thirst, and that's when Jonas released his grip on her. Then Maria was gone in a flash of pale black, crisp white and bright blonde. _

"_Charlotte?" Jonas called to her quietly._

"_Yes, Jonas?" She answered him quite happily._

"_Keep watch over the village. I'll track Maria down. Ensure she does not harm a single human being." Charlotte nodded once, clearly in a very good mood despite everything that was going on._

"_Consider it done." With that said, Charlotte leaped into the air and landed somewhere in the village, unspotted by all but Jonas himself._

"_At a girl." Jonas said to himself and to Charlotte, smiling proudly._

_Back with Howl and Sophie…_

_On the sofa, Sophie lie asleep with a smile on her face. Howl stood over her and brushed the strands of hair out of her face. She looked so peaceful, his Sophie, even though her blood soaked the shoulder of her dress. The marks on her neck were hideous, yet they barely marred her innocence and radiance._

"_Forgive me, Sophie." He kissed her cheek, making her smile grow._

"_Howl…" She muttered in her sleep. This made Howl smile himself. He wiped the blood from his mouth and sat on the opposite side of Sophie on the red couch. Then he decided that he didn't like that. So he picked Sophie up, sat down, and held her in his arms as she laid her head on his chest. It wasn't until Sophie snuggled against his chest, that Howl's smile brightened and he held her even tighter as she slept. _

"_Sophie, please, don't ever leave me alone again." He begged the sleeping girl in his arms as he stroked her hair. "Please."_

_Sophie's red ring began to glow, and Howl began to feel at ease again. Then, he feel asleep peacefully, knowing that Sophie was never going anywhere. Not without him anyways._


End file.
